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Home , Agadir Crisis, Algeciras Conference, Battle of Amiens (1870), Entente Cordiale, First Moroccan Crisis

CONFLICT AND TENSION 1894-1918

REVISION BOOKLET

1 THE ORIGINS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

What was Europe like before the war?

Great Britain Russia - Wanted to maintain their imperial and naval - Had a large but ill-equipped army. supremacy. - Had a long-standing rivalry with Austria- - Did not want to get involved in European affairs – Hungary due to the high Slavic population in they were in ‘’. the A-H empire. - Was a strong trading nation, which, by 1914 had been - Fought and lost a war with Japan in 1905 and overtaken by Germany in chemical and steel therefore could not afford another one. production. Serbia - Had a long - - Gained standing feud independence with Germany as from Turkey in they had been 1878. defeated in the - Wanted to join Franco-Prussian with Bosnia due War and had lost to the number of Alsace-Lorraine. Serbs living there. - Was not on good - Believed in pan- terms with Slavism. The Britain as they biggest obstacle had squabbled to this was the A- over land in H empire where Africa. Slavs lived under - Was worried Austro-Hungarian about the growth not Slavic rule. of the German military and industry.

Germany Austria-Hungary - Unified in 1870. - Had a large empire made up of several - Bismarck wanted to maintain dominance through creating nationalities. It wanted to keep their alliances but wanted to weaken and isolate France. empire strong. - Wanted to increase the size of their empire and navy. - Wanted to take over the weakening - Was also worried about the growing size of the Russian (Turkey). army. - Was worried about Serbia. The Alliance System

- The 1882 - was arranged by Bismarck (the German Chancellor). Germany were aware that France would want revenge for its defeat in the Franco-Prussian War therefore the Triple Alliance was designed to a) alienate France and b) create a military alliance with Austria-Hungary and Italy in case of invasion from a foreign power. - The consists of 3 separate agreements. o The Franco-Russian Agreement 1894 – had the intention of encircling Germany. This was a military alliance but these two countries only promised to defend the other if Germany attacked either of them.

2 o The Franco-Russian Agreement could only be signed after the between Russia and Germany had lapsed. Wilhlem failed to renew it after Bismarck was dismissed meaning that Russia was now free to form alliance with another country. o The 1904 - was signed between Britain and France. The two countries agreed to stay on good terms and settled colonial disputes in Africa. Britain was following a policy of Splendid Isolation at this time – they did not want to interfere in European affairs and therefore these agreements are seen as a way of preserving British supremacy in areas that concerned them. Although this is not a military agreement Germany saw this a threat that needed to be tested. o The Anglo-Russian Alliance 1907 – another agreement that settled colonial disputes between Britain and Russia. This was signed following the where Russia supported France. This was not a military agreement but the result of these three agreements made Germany feel encircled.

What are the key differences between the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente?

How did the alliance system cause tension in Europe? (What specific events SHOW that the alliance system led to increased tension?

German Foreign Policy –

When Kaiser Wilhelm came to power in 1890, Germany had an incredibly small overseas empire.

Why did Germany have such a small empire?

How did this impact German Foreign Policy? Germany felt threatened by the big empires of Britain and France and felt that Germany should have an empire of their own. Wilhelm’s policy to achieve this was called ‘Weltpolitik’ or World Policy. Germany was looking for their ‘Place in the Sun’.

To achieve this, Wilhelm was inspired by the British Empire. He believed that Britain had gained their empire through their naval power and therefore believed that Germany needed to expand their armed forces to achieve their imperial ambitions.

How did Weltpolitik lead to war? Think of Why did Germany feel that Weltpolitik was specific events. justified?

Why did Weltpolitik make Britain anxious?

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The Arms Race on Land 1900-1914

- Strong armies were seen as a way of preventing wars from breaking out as they would act as a deterrent. Explain this idea in your own words.

- All European powers except Britain had introduced conscription by 1914. - All nations began to make war plans.

Why are the two points above significant when discussing militarism pre-1914?

The Anglo-German Naval Race Britain needed a navy for three main reasons: 1) 2) 3)

- Britain introduced the two power standard in 1889 in order to maintain their naval dominance. - In 1898 Wilhlem ordered Admiral Tirpitz to build up the German navy to rival Britain’s. Germany’s Second Naval Law in 1900 meant that by 1906, the size of the German navy had doubled. - In 1906, Britain introduced the . By 1908, Germany had created their own version of the dreadnought. - The dreadnought race reached a peak in 1909. The British public were demanding for 8 to be made per year.

How did the naval race contribute to war? The Moroccan Crisis, 1905

The First Moroccan Crisis 1905-1906 (The Crisis)

As part of the Entente Cordiale, Britain agreed that fell within the French ‘’. However, Kaiser Wilhelm decided to interfere and declared that he supported Moroccan independence.

He did this for two reasons: 1) To try and increase German influence in Africa. 2) To test the strength of the Entente Cordiale.

This made France mad! Germany’s declaration of support for Morocco led to France threatening war. Britain suggested that a conference be held instead.

4 Leading to the () in 1906

- Austria-Hungary and Morocco supported Germany, whilst Britain and Russia supported France. - France was given joint control of the Moroccan police force, as well as control over politics and the economy. - Germany were told that they had no say over Morocco and a result felt humiliated.

Key results of the Moroccan Crisis, 1905: 1) The Entente Cordiale was strengthened because Britain had supported France against Germany. They had succeeded in holding back German influence in Africa. Following the conference, France and Britain started holding secret military talks.

2) France had gained control over the economic and political affairs of Morocco. They also gained joint control of the Moroccan police force with Spain.

3) The Kaiser left the Algeciras Conference very bitter at how he had been treated by Britain and France, and the way German ambitions had been ignored.

4) In 1907, Britain and Russia signed the Anglo-Russian Agreement. Alongside the Entente Cordiale and the Franco-Russian Alliance, this formed the Triple Entente with Russia. This further threatened Germany because it felt that this new alliance was an attempt to surround it.

5) The , 1911

- In 1911 the French helped to put down a rebellion in Morocco. This provided them with an opportunity to take Morocco. - France offered compensation to countries that were concerned by these actions, however, the Kaiser sent a gunboat ‘The Panther’ to the port of Agadir in Morocco. - Germany claimed to be protecting their ‘interests’ in Morocco, but it was seen as a warlike over-reaction of Germany by Britain and France. - Britain believed that Germany wanted to set up a naval base in Morocco to challenge their one in Gibraltar. made the Mansion House Speech in which he declared that Britain would be willing to go to war if their position was threatened. Key results - Another conference was held, in which Germany was given land in central Africa, the Congo. 1) Once again, Britain and France had stood firm and Wilhelm had been forced to back down. 2) Wilhelm was determined that the next contest would not be one in which he looked foolish. Germany would be unlikely to back down in any future crises. Wilhelm said: 'these events have shown the German people where its enemy is'. 3) Britain was becoming increasingly convinced that Germany wanted European domination. 4) Britain and France made a secret naval agreement whereupon Britain promised to defend the northern coast of France and France promised to defend the Mediterranean. 5) Italy opposed German actions at Agadir which pulled them further away from the Triple Alliance. Germany had to rely on Austria -Hungary more for support.

5 The , 1908

Background to the crisis - Serbia had recently become independent (treaty of San Stefano 1878), and they believed in pan-Slavism. As Bosnia had a high percentage of Serbians living within in, they wanted Bosnia so that Greater Serbia could dominate the Balkan region. - The Balkans had been ruled by the Turkish Empire, however their power was declining (they were the ‘sick man of Europe’). - Austria-Hungary also had ideas to take over Bosnia as if Serbia were successful in spreading their nationalistic ideas then this would weaken their empire as all the nationalities within it would also want independence.

The Crisis - In 1908 there was a revolution in Turkey. Austria-Hungary took the opportunity to annex Bosnia and take it into their empire. - Serbia was furious and appealed to their ally (their ‘big brother’) Russia for support. Germany had made it clear that if Russia intervened then they would declare war on Russia. As a result, both Russia and Serbia backed down.

Results for the Triple Alliance Results for Russia and Serbia - Austria-Hungary was confident as - Russia was humiliated at having to they had received Germany’s let down Serbia, and promised not support despite Germany not to let them down in the future. They agreeing with their actions in also increased their military Bosnia. spending. - Italy did not agree with Austria- - Serbia’s attitude against Austria- Hungary’s actions, so moved further Hungary hardened. Membership of away from the Triple Alliance. the Black Hand Gang increased.

The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand, 28th June 1914

- The Black Hand Gang – aims of Pan Slavism. The Black Hand Gang were keen to assassinate Franz Ferdinand before he became Emperor of Austria-Hungary.

Why?

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Results of the assassination

28th June 1914 - Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne was assassinated by the Serbian group, the Black Hand Gang.

5th July 1914 - Austria-Hungary ask Germany for support. Germany issue A-H with the 'blank cheque' - a promise of unlimited support.

23rd July 1914 - Austria-Hungary issue Serbia with a 10 point ultimatum - agree to all 10 points or face war. Several Austrian generals see this as an opportunity to crush Serb nationalism and therefore it can be argued that the terms of the ultimatum were made deliberately hard in a bid to have a reason to declare on Serbia.

28th July 1914 - Serbia agree to 9 of the 10 points on the ultimatum. They did not agree to the sixth point - to allow A-H to carry out the investigation, but suggested that a neutral country oversee the investigation.

29th July 1914 - Austria-Hungary start to shell Serbia's capital, Belgrade.

30th July 1914 - Russia begins to mobilise its troops in support of Serbia.

1st August 1914 - Germany declare war on Russia.

3rd August 1914 - Germany declare war on France.

4th August 1914 - Germany's violation of the Treaty of London leads to Britain delcaring war on Germany.

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The

What was the Schlieffen Plan? The Schlieffen Plan was Germany’s war plan. It was devised in 1905 and was designed to avoid a war on two fronts.

Britain’s position in 1914. Despite having alliances with France and Russia, Britain had made no firm promises to help them in war.

However, Britain had promised in 1839 to protect the neutrality of if she was ever attacked in the Treaty of London.

The Schlieffen Plan required the German army to attack France through Belgium. The German generals gambled that Britain would not keep her promise to defend Belgium.

How did the Schlieffen Plan lead to war?

1) It was a plan of ATTACK. This meant that as soon as Germany mobilised their troops they were at war. So Germany was at with Russia on 1st August 1914, whereas Russia had just mobilised. 2) When making the plan, Germany had not considered a situation where they would be at war against Russia and not France (like what happened in 1914). As the plan said that Germany should be at war against France before Russia, Germany therefore declared war on France. 3) By going through Belgium, Germany violated the Treaty of London, which brought Britain into the war. When Britain entered the war, so did its Empire. Soldiers from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, , South Africa, Africa and India all fought for Britain in World War One. Therefore, Britain entering the war was significant as it escalated the conflict.

From Schlieffen to Stalemate Why did stalemate set in on the Western Front?

•23 August 1914: Battle of •August and September 1914 – the •Belgian resistance to Mons. The BEF had initial Germans had to face the Russian army on the German invasion successes at the battle, holding their eastern border in two large battles won them many friend the Germans up with rapid rifle (the and the Battle and gave the British and fire. Although ultimately they of Masurian Lake respectively). 100,000 French troops time to were outnumbered and had to Germans were redirected from the west mobilise. retreat to defend . to the east. Germany suffered huge losses

•Battle of the Marne September 1914 – German •Neither side made any progress and by advanced directly to Paris on foot, whereas the French the 8th September troops on both sides troops arrived by rail, some by taxi! The combined were digging trenches. The war of attack British and French forces stopped the German advance and movement had now become one of along the line by the River Marne, and then pushed defence and stalemate. them back.

8 9 Why did Falkenhayn What happened during the ? choose Verdun? Cause: France 140,000 German troops started the attack Effect: 700,000 were the main in February 1916. They were supported by casualties force of the allied 1,200 guns that targeted 2,500,000 305,000 soldiers defence shells at the Verdun region. To start with, died the French only had 30,000 troops to 162,000 French oppose the Germans. Effect: France put Cause : Verdun pressure on Britain was sentimental to For six months, both sides poured men and to start an offensive the French as a resources into the battle. to relieve the symbol of defence pressure at Verdun On June 1st, Germany launched a massive attack at Verdun. By June 23rd, they got Cause: The Effect: France Germans knew within 2.5 miles from Verdun itself – but this attack faltered as the German army were close to France would itself had given all that it had and it could breaking point. spend resources defending it give no more.

The Battle of the , July – November 1916

The British were pressured by France to launch an attack at the Somme so they could;

– relieve the pressure on the French at the Battle of Verdun, hopefully drawing German soldiers and resources away from Verdun to fight on the Somme.

– Break through enemy positions and work towards breaking the stalemate

– Weaken the German Army through attrition warfare

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11 The , July – November 1917

On July 18th 1917, a heavy artillery barrage was launched at the German lines. This lasted for ten days. Three thousand artillery guns fired over four million shells. Therefore, the German army in the area fully expected a major Allied attack - so any vague hope of surprise was lost.

The Battle of , November – December 1917

 The attack started at 06.20 on November 20th 1917. The Germans were surprised by an intense artillery attack directly on the .  350 British tanks advanced across the ground supported by infantry – both were assisted by an artillery rolling barrage that gave them cover from a German counter-attack.  The bulk of the initial attack went well. The 62nd (West Riding) covered more than five miles in this attack from their starting point. Compared to the gains made at battles like the Somme and Verdun, such a distance was astonishing.  While losses did not equate to the Somme or Verdun, the British lost over 44,000 men during the battle while the Germans lost about 45,000 men. 9,000 Germans were taken as prisoner.

Gallipoli, April 1915

The main reason for landing at Gallipoli was: Though Russia had a large army it was unable to provide them with enough supplies. The landings at Gallipoli were an attempt to create a supply path through the Dardanelles to Russia by capturing Gallipoli and Constantinople (Istanbul).

If Russia was able to receive supplies from the Allies, she may be able to help defeat Germany, and the Allies thought that they could easily defeat the Turks.

12 Why was Gallipoli a failure for the Allies?

Categorise the reasons for the failure of Gallipoli. □ = □ = □ =

13 The War at Sea The British Blockade

• From 1915, the British imposed a blockade on Germany’s northern ports. Coal and iron ore to make steel were plentiful, but resources like magnesium, oil, rubber and cotton—all essential for making ammunition) could not be obtained within Germany. • The Blockade was in place until the signing of the in 1919.

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare • U-boats were developed and used by the Germans as a response to the blockade. • Like Britain was doing to them, Germany hoped to stop any imports going in to Britain from the British Empire and USA. • From Feb. 1915 the Germans declared that any ship in British waters (even neutral ones) would be attacked – this was unrestricted submarine warfare

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How successful was the German U-Boat campaign?

- In January 1915, before the declaration of unrestricted submarine warfare, 43,550 tonnes of shipping had been sunk by U-boats. - The number of sinkings then steadily increased, with 168,200 tonnes going down in August 1915. Attacking without warning, German U-Boats sank nearly 100,000 tons per month, an average of 1.9 ships daily.

The Sinking of the Lusitania, 1915 - German U-boats sank a passenger British liner, the Lusitania, in 1915. The liner was clearly marked as a civilian ship, not a navy vessel. - German U-Boats fired torpedoes at the passenger liner off the coast of Ireland, causing it to sink in just 18 minutes. - 1198 passengers were killed; 128 were US citizens. - President Wilson told Germany to abandon submarine warfare; he rejected the German arguments that the British blockade was illegal and cruel and issued Germany an ultimatum: that any future sinkings would be seen as ‘deliberately unfriendly’ and therefore would require a response from the US. - The Kaiser, fearing America entering the war on the allies side, demanded that German U- Boats stop attacking American ships, even if they were bringing imports in to Britain.

The , 31st May 1916

 It involved 250 ships and around 100,000 men.  It was also the first and only time that the British and German fleets of 'dreadnought' battleships met each other in battle.  Over the course of the battle there were periods of intense action and inaction.  In the end, 6,000 British and 2,500 German sailors were dead. The British lost 14 ships to the Germans' 11.  But Germany failed to fulfil any of the objectives laid out before Jutland and the damage done to the German fleet had a more significant impact on its fighting strength. The British on the other hand were again ready for action within hours. Although the Germans had avoided the complete destruction of their fleet, they were never again able to seriously challenge British control of the North Sea.

Unrestricted Submarine Warfare Continues  By 1917, Germany was reaching desperate levels as a result of the British blockade.  The Kaiser and his generals decided on an all-out gamble in 1917 to win the war  This included cutting off supply lines to Britain through resuming Unrestricted Submarine Warfare, which included destroying American ships  The gamble of starving Britain in to submission nearly worked; by May 1917 Britain only had 6 weeks’ worth of basic goods left.

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- The desperation of the Germans to destroy ships heading for Britain ultimately led to their downfall. - America had a lot of sympathy with the Allies and the memory of the sinking of the Lusitania was still with many Americans. There was also lots of anti-German sentiment in America which was only made worse by the reintroduction of unrestricted submarine warfare. - Germany resumed their policy of unrestricted submarine warfare on 1st February 1917. On 3rd February, President Wilson severed all diplomatic relations with Germany, and the US Congress declared war on 6th April.

The Russian Revolution, October 1917

Causes = □ Events = □ Effects = □

16 The Spring Offensive (The Ludendorff Offensive), 1918

1) 21st -25th March 1918 - In the spring of 1918, Ludendorff ordered a massive German attack on the Western Front. The Spring Offensive was Germany’s attempt to end World War One. With 500,000 troops added to Germany’s strength from the Russian Front, Ludendorff was confident of success. On March 21st, 1918, Ludendorff launched the offensive. In just five hours, the Germans fired one million artillery shells at the British lines held by the Fifth Army – over 3000 shells fired every minute. The artillery bombardment was followed by an attack by elite storm troopers. These soldiers travelled lightly and were skilled in fast, hard-hitting attacks before moving on to their next target. Unlike soldiers burdened with weighty kit etc, the storm troopers carried little except weaponry (such as flame throwers) that could cause much panic, as proved to be the case in this attack. By the end of the first day of the attack, 21,000 British soldiers had been taken prisoner and the Germans had made great advances. Germany was now within 5 miles of Paris. 2) 26th-28th March 1918 The army found that it ran out of supplies as it advanced. Horses, that should have been used in the advance on , were killed for their meat. Between March and April, the Germans suffered 230,000 casualties but they were still advancing on Allied territory. The German Army simply could not sustain such casualties. As the Germans advanced to Amiens, they went via Albert. Here the German troops found shops filled with all types of food. Such was their hunger and desperation for food that looting took place and the discipline that had started with the attack on March 21st soon disappeared. 3) 29th March 1918 At this time, American troops poured into the Western Front. By the end of March, 250,000 American troops had joined the conflict. However, the impact of the Americans was hindered by the fact that the American General Pershing would not allow his troops to be commanded by either French or British officers. 4) June 1918 - By June 1918, the German army had been severely weakened by the large number of casualties it had suffered and the troops within the army became exhausted and many refused to advance any further. Supply lines were stretched and the soldiers were finding it difficult to receive supplies. 5) 15th July 1918 - On July 15th, 1918, Ludendorff ordered the last offensive by the German Army in World War One. It was a disaster. The Germans advanced two miles into land held by the Allies but their losses were huge. The French Army let the Germans advance knowing that their supply lines were stretched to the limit. Then the French hit back on the Marne and a massive French counter-attack led by the French general took place. Between March and July 1918, the Germans lost one million men. The Hundred Days

8th August to 11th November 1918 - the Allied forces made large advances across the Western Front and German forces began to retreat, leading to the end of the war.

The Battle of Amiens, 8th August 1918 • The Allies launch a huge offensive, using American support • Co-ordination of artillery, tanks (500), planes and infantry. • Managed to launch a surprise attack. • By the end of the day, the Allies have gained 7 miles and the Allies had taken 17,000 prisoners and 330 guns. • Total German losses were estimated to be 30,000 men, while the Allies had suffered about 6,500 killed, wounded and missing. • The collapse in German morale led Erich Ludendorff to dub it "the Black Day of the German Army" • The start of the ‘’ and sent the Germans into retreat

17 The End of the War – Why did Germany lose the war? Read through all the factors below. They all contributed to the end of the war in November 1918. Categorise them into the following categories: the role of USA, German mistakes, the events of 1918. The British blockade of German In March 1918, General The Allies had put a blockade on ports has had a massive impact Ludendorff launched one last German ports at the start of the on the morale of Germany. The major German offensive in the war. This starved Germany of raw German army are struggling for hope of winning the war. There materials and food for both its supplies to keep their war was initial success – the civilian population and its soldiers. effort going. They have even Germans managed to advance resorted to looting conquered 64km and Paris was in range of trenches and taking supplies heavy gunfire. However, they By November 1918, Germany’s (including boots) from other army had lost 400,000 in the allies were surrendering and dead soldiers. process and had no reserves German sailors mutinied at Kiel. that they could call upon. These mutinies spread.

In August 1918, the Allies In February 1917, things were The German forces lost men at an counter-attacked. This became getting desperate for Germany incredible rate, compared to the known as the German army’s and they restarted their policy number of men the Allies were ‘black day’ due to the amount of unrestricted submarine getting. The Spring Offensive had of land lost to the Allies. By late warfare, attacking and cost the German army dearly September, they had reached destroying many American meaning that the number of the Hindenburg line and by ships suspected of carrying German troops was falling at a rapid October, the German army was supplies to the Allies. rate. By the end of the war, in retreat. Germany had less than a million soldiers By October 1918, there had September 1918: The surrender America found out that Germany been a huge increase in the of Bulgaria deprives Germany had tried to ally with Mexico against Royal Flying Corps, which had of essential oil supplies – the them. The US then declared war on over 20,000 aircraft. war machine now starts Germany in April 1917. grinding to a halt. By early November, both Turkey and Austria-Hungary has surrendered. No ceiling was imposed on war The Allies started to co- The Allies were receiving tanks and profits made by businesses, nor ordinate their military, using heavy guns from America. By mid- were these profits even taxed tanks, artillery, planes and 1918, 50,000 American troops were infantry harmoniously during arriving in France every month. By before 1916. Therefore, the their attacks. This development summer 1918 there was around 1 government could only cover of the ‘combined arms’ million American troops in Europe. 16% of its costs through taxes, offensive proved difficult for when Britain was able to cover German forces to defend about a third. against.

American troops had to be The British government had German troops in 1918 did not trained and equipped. They did ordered there to be better compare well to the state of the not arrive on the western front searchlights, anti-aircraft guns army in 1914 – there was poor until the summer of 1918. and planes. This meant that discipline and they were badly America provided the Allies German planes no longer could supplied and fed. Progress in 1918 with food and money to spend fly to England easily. was hindered by soldiers stopping on war materials. to loot food and supplied from captured trenches and villages.

18 The abdication of the Kaiser

- Riots had spread from the Kiel naval base to many German cities. - The army generals wanted the Kaiser to give more power to the politicians so that they could negotiate a fairer end to the fighting. - The Social Democrats (the largest political party in Germany) threatened to resign from government. th - On 9 November 1918, the Kaiser abdicated and Germany became a republic.

The Armistice – November 11th 1918

- Negotiations about a ceasefire had been going on for a few weeks. - The German government had expressed a willingness to proceed on the basis of Wilson’s Fourteen Points – principles to guide the peace settlement based on fairness. - However, following the Kaiser’s abdication, the allies were keen to get an armistice signed. No negotiations took place and the German delegates were forced to agree to allied demands. - There were many practical demands that were designed to ensure that Germany could not restart the war: - guns, machine guns, planes, lorries, trucks and railway engines were all to be handed over to the allies - allied prisoners were to be released - all territory occupied in France and Belgium was to be evacuated in a fortnight - The armistice was signed at 5:00am but was due to take effect at 11:00am. - The German government that signed the armistice were later accused of ‘stabbing Germany in the back’. They had no choice but to sign the armistice, but the army generals did not see it that way.

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Big Fat WW1 Knowledge Test

1) Why did governments create alliances?

2) Which countries were in the Triple Alliance?

3) What was agreed as part of the Triple Alliance?

4) Why did France and Russia sign the Franco-Russian Alliance?

5) What was ‘Splendid Isolation’?

6) Why did Britain leave ‘Splendid Isolation’?

7) Why did Britain sign the Anglo-Japanese Alliance?

8) What was agreed as part of the Entente Cordiale?

9) What was agreed as part of the Anglo-Russian Agreement?

10) Why did Germany see these alliances as threatening?

11) How could alliances contribute to the outbreak of war? Provide one reason.

12) What was Kaiser Wilhelm’s foreign policy? What were its aims?

13) How was Kaiser Wilhelm going to achieve these aims?

14) Why did Britain need a large navy? Provide 3 reasons.

15) Which was the only country to not have introduced conscription by 1914?

16) Why did Britain perceive Germany as their biggest threat? Be as specific as you can.

17) How many dreadnoughts did the British public demand to be made per year?

18) How many were actually made? 20 19) When do historians say that the naval race ended?

20) Who won the naval race? How many dreadnoughts did they have?

21) What reason did Kaiser Wilhelm give for getting involved in Morocco?

22) Why did he actually get involved?

23) What was decided at the Algeciras Conference?

24) Why did the Agadir Crisis begin?

25) How did the Kaiser respond?

26) What was the result of the Second Moroccan Crisis?

27) How did the relationship between Britain and France develop as a result of the crisis?

28) Why did Serbia want to control Bosnia?

29) Provide two results of the Bosnian Crisis.

30) Provide one result of the .

31) Why was Archduke Franz Ferdinand assassinated?

32) What was the date of the assassination?

33) Who was he assassinated by?

34) How did Austria-Hungary respond to the assassination?

35) Why was Austria-Hungary confident at this point?

36) Who supported Serbia at this point and why?

37) When was the Schlieffen Plan devised?

21 38) What was the purpose of the Schlieffen Plan?

39) Provide 2 ways in which the Schlieffen Plan failed.

40) How did the Schlieffen Plan lead to world war?

41) In what year did the British soldiers get helmets?

42) In what battle were trenches dug?

43) Provide one weakness of artillery bombardments.

44) How did the use of aircraft develop throughout the war?

45) In what battle were tanks used successfully?

46) Why was Verdun a target for the Germans?

47) What was Haig’s strategy at the Somme?

48) How many men died at the ?

49) What went wrong at the Battle of Passchendaele?

50) What happened at the ?

51) What was the purpose of the Gallipoli landings?

52) Who fought at Gallipoli?

53) Provide three failures of the .

54) What was the purpose of the British Blockade?

55) Was the blockade successful? Explain your answer.

56) What is a convoy?

22 57) What is the name of the American liner sunk by German U-boats in 1915?

58) How did America respond to this?

59) Why did Germany launch the offensive at Jutland?

60) What evidence is there that Britain won the Battle of Jutland?

61) What evidence is there that Germany won the Battle of Jutland?

62) When did the USA enter the war?

63) Provide two reasons for the USA entering the war.

64) What impact was the blockade having on the people of Germany?

65) Provide two failures of the German government during the war.

66) What impact did the Russian Revolution have on the war effort?

67) What was agreed as part of the Treaty of the Brest-Litovsk?

68) What was the Ludendorff Offensive?

69) What did the Germans achieve at the start of the offensive?

70) Why did it fail?

71) What was the ‘Hundred Days’?

72) What was the outcome of the Battle of Amiens?

73) What was the Kiel mutiny?

74) Which of Germany’s allies had surrendered by the start of November 1918?

75) Who was Marshal Foch? What had he contributed to the outcome of the war?

23 76) When was the armistice signed?

77) What do you think is the most important reason for the allies winning the war? Why?

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